Translation of the letter:

Translation of letters thrown out by Guru Ram Singh to Nathana Singh.

1st Letter

• ‘By the mercy of God, the true Guru”. . ; .

I, Dayal Singh, write to (praiseworthy) Sawan Singh, Harnam Singh, Harnam Singh II, Sobha Singh,. Dhana Singh, Rirpal Singh, and to the: whole congregation. Accept ray saluta¬ tions (Sri Vahiguruji kifateh). To. Mai bibi my Rams at be communicated. I am in good health. May the Guru keep the whole congregation safe and in good health. This is my prayer to the Guru who does what he pleases, . The grievances. of those who have complained of them, will be removed. Bodily, pains epilepsy, attack by evil spirits, injuries which men receive , at the hands of others, starvation - and destitution etc. will all be removed by “bhajan” to God. It has been ordered by the Guru that the name of God is the remedy for all diseases. To read i(bani ” and . repeat the name of God is productive of ample reward. Get up when 1J Pahar of the night remains, bathe and read “bhajan”, “bcmi” which should be repeated day and night, as work admits. Give aims according to your means and do not steal or pick up anybody’s property. But without fail bathe

at the last watch of the night, then Imrdships of all kinds will

banish away. Let this be known to all.

Sawan Singh. In regard to your statement that the two Tags were broken, I did not know whose flags they were and there¬ fore I did not write to you. Only a few days ago, I was informed of the fact that the two standards of “ Miri and Piri'\ had given way. The time of the removal of the former “ Miri and Piri ” has come. The Guru is unfathomable ; he knows what is to happen, but it has so been decried by the Guru and consequently I have communicated it to you There is no necessity for me to write out orders ( Hukmanama ). He who wants to see and obey them, should read the Guru’s orders. It is useless sAnply to see them without obeying their contents. Two Garantks1 ; “100 Sakhis” ; and “Parem Samara g” are the ‘Hukmanamas’ for all congregations and people of all castes and persuasions. I have also sent my orders for my congregation and they are at “Ramdaspur”. He who wants to see them, can do so. My Orders will be seen but not obeyed by many, some will like them

but others will not derive any benefit from them. Give me names of all men and thfeir residences. They are in difficulty. Convey my salutation to all. Communicate my orders about “ Bhajan , bani” to all. He who bathes in the last watch of the night will be free from all pains. I suffered here very much and my body fluttered day and night but when I commenced bathing in the last Watch ‘ of the night and reciting “ bhajan banV\ 1 regained my health. In hrs writings the Guru has alluded to the reward for those bathing in the last watch of the night. Whoever will obey the Guru’s orders will be happy. Owing to disobedience of orders the Guru2 conferred the hierarchy to Angad in preference to his own sons. Ram Dass a Khatri of another town, obtained the hierarchy in preference to Datu, Dasu, Ivlohri, and Mohan. Also the hand of the Guru’s' daughter. In short, it is useless to have Hukmanamas”" unless their contents are obeyed.

Now I shall relate the circumstances under which I forbid 4 Singhs’ to come to this place. The congregation is my life and body. This is true and not false. The sentries with muskets are on watch over me and they have orders to arrest any man communicating with me and to intercept. anything thrown from without or within. If a person were seen in the act of giving or receiving a slip of paper, the sentries would be imprisoned, whipped and dismissed the service and the messenger would be imprisoned and I might be sent to some miserable place where they would probably give me much trouble. They (the authorities) are great “ Malichhas ”l being merciless. On this account I forbid your coming to me. An interview cannot be obtained, and the trouble and expense of coming up here are great. If they permit you to pay me visits, you may come in parties of 100 men each. I wrote many times prohibiting people from coming to me or in the event of their being determined to visit me, I said that one or two individuals might come once a year. There is no need to write much on the subject. The Guru alone keeps our secrets, otherwise there is no help. In the obedience of orders there is happiness. The money which you spend in coming up here will be well spent in connection with “ Bhogs ” and “Paths”. A large amount of money is spent to no purpose. Having been sent by the Khalsa I have come to this place. If the Khalsa wish to send me further on, they can do as they please. If they wish to do good, they should not talk of coming over here. Perform “ Bhajans ”, “Paths” and “Bhogs” stead fastly. All things will then go on well. If I am the same individual as that referred to in Parem Samarag, Sakhis, Ram Mirgind and in the book discovered in “Paihlad Sagar”, viz., the 12th incarnation, I will surely come to the country and destroy the “Mir” and “Pir”. If I am not that man, why do you come over here ; there are hundreds of carpenters like me in the country. It would be a good thing if you would not come now. Perform as many “Bhajans”, “Paths” and “Bhogs” as you can. In coming up, there is great trouble and expense and nothing is gained. I have told you what thought best. Do as you please, obey or disobey as you like. I have no knowledge when I will come down to the Country. The month, day or the place, I know not. Narain Singh2 has left with me an extract from the book taken out from the tank Paihladsar which is to the effect that I will go to the country when war breaks out in the “Manjha”. The Guru know as best. If the war breaks out, 25 of you should pray to the Guru as follows : — “Oh Guru ! take us to the place which you deem fit for us to live in”. The Guru will hear your prayers, and take you to the best place. I cannot make any suggestion. If I had been wise, I would not have been imprisoned. All of you deeply meditate. May God hlep all congregations. Oh Guru ! give us wisdom, we are thy servants. This letter is for ‘Singhs’.